Under the Influence of the Maysles Brothers @ the Museum of the City of New York

Please note that this program is now sold out. If you would like to join the wait list, please email programs@mcny.org with your name, email, phone number, and number of tickets you would like and you will be contacted should any tickets become available.

Revisit 1960s New York through the eyes of legendary filmmakers Albert and David Maysles at this outdoor screening on the Museum's terrace. In the case of rain, the screening will be moved indoors and take place at the same time.

IBM: A Self-Portrait1964, 35 min

Cut Piece1966, 8 min

With Love from Truman1966, 29 min

Meet Marlon Brando1966, 29 min

As early creators of direct cinema, the Maysles brothers were among the city’s chief chroniclers, among the first to capture life as it unfolded before their camera, without scripts, sets, or narration. This screening will feature a selection of the Maysles’ iconic shorts, including a radical Yoko Ono performance at Carnegie Hall, a portrait of an ascendant IBM, a drop-in visit with Truman Capote at his Long Island retreat, and an indelible encounter with Marlon Brando in a Midtown hotel room.

Together, these films capture both the official history and something else: the unguarded moments and unscripted gestures that are the true warp and woof of a historical scene.

Screening to be introduced by acclaimed cinematographer and former Maysles Films archivist Sean Price Williams (Listen Up Philip, Iris, Good Time).

IBM: A Self-Portrait1964, 35 minTold in the Maysles’ unparalleled style, IBM: A Self-Portrait captures the future corporate juggernaut at an early stage of their development. The emphasis here is on the human ingenuity behind the technology industry-- the colorful technicians and executives working together to create a future design for living.

Cut Piece1966, 8 minFilmed at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Cut Piece documents one of Yoko Ono’s most powerful conceptual pieces. Performed by the artist herself, Ono sits motionless on the stage after inviting the audience to come up and cut away her clothing in a denouement of the reciprocity between victim and assailant.

With Love from Truman1966, 29 minWith Love from Truman offers a glimpse into an intimate meeting with renowned author Truman Capote as a reporter interviews him in his beachfront home. Capote shares his “self-regarding” personality complete with calculated jokes and offers insights into his latest book, In Cold Blood, in his endearingly raspy voice.

Meet Marlon Brando1966, 29 minMeet Marlon Brando is a delightful, unusually candid portrait of the world-famous movie star, a tongue-in-cheek confrontation with the press. While television journalists interview Brando about his most recent film, he counters their futile questions with wit and insight, a man unwilling to sell himself.

This is the final event in the nonfiction film series, Smile, It’s Your Close Up: New York's Documentaries (Part 2), co-programmed with Jessica Green and Edo Choi of the Maysles Documentary Center, founded by Albert Maysles (1926-2015).

$15 for adults | $12 for seniors, students & educators (with ID) | $10 for Maysles Documentary Center members and Museum of the City of New York members. Includes Museum of the City of New York admission.

Attention, Maysles Documentary Center members MDC is the code for advance ticketing discount.

Attention, Museum of the City of New York members, to receive your discount, click on the "Buy Tickets" button above, then sign in to your account on the ticketing page.

Groups of 10 or more get discounts and priority seating, email or call us at programs@mcny.org or 917-492-3395.